Strictly Come Dancing's Tasha Ghouri snubs Giovanni Pernice 'romance' in four-word remark

Tasha Ghouri has dismissed questions about her former relationship with ex-Strictly pro Giovanni Pernice, offering a concise four-word comment.

During an interview with the Sunday Times' Blanca Schofield, the Strictly Come Dancing favourite addressed her short-lived liaison with the 2021 champion that occurred before her Love Island appearance.

This comes in the wake of allegations of bullying directed at the Sicilian dancer by his 2023 celebrity dance partner Amanda Abbington earlier this year, which was followed by a BBC inquiry and his eventual departure from the show.

Nonetheless, Pernice was later exonerated by the corporation on ten out of 16 complaints, with six of Amanda's allegations being substantiated.

It's understood that Tasha shared secret dates with the dancer following his victory on the show with actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, who broke new ground as Strictly's first deaf contestant.

But when pressed about these romantic encounters by journalist Blanca, Tasha—who herself was born deaf—deflected with a simple reference to Giovanni as "somebody from years ago".

Rumours had been swirling that Pernice and Tasha exchanged follows on Instagram and initiated private conversations which led to their meeting in 2022 and subsequent dates.

An insider close to Tasha conveyed to MailOnline that he showed "persistent" interest in her; they seemingly shared much common ground, both hailing from dance backgrounds, and Giovanni having immersed himself in the deaf community through his partnership with Rose.

Sources revealed Tasha was "impressed by how gentlemanly he was". Giovanni charmed the former Love Island contestant with trips to London's eateries, reports Birmingham Live.

They claimed: "Their romance didn't progress because Giovanni was travelling a lot with the Strictly tour and Tasha was already involved with someone else."

Last month, it emerged that Tasha, in a relationship with her Love Island beau Andrew Le Page, has taken significant steps with him; they've moved in, adopted a dog, inked matching tattoos, bought a house, and celebrated two years together in the summer.

On the other hand, Giovanni is believed to be single following a reported breakup with model Molly Brown last summer.

He has a history of high-profile relationships, including links to Maura Higgins, Georgia May-Foote, Ashley Roberts of the Pussycat Dolls, and Strictly colleague Jowita Pryzstal, as detailed by Metro.